Trip type: hike
Elevation gain: approx. 840 feet
Car-to-car time: 2 hours 35 minutes
USGS quad: Mount Si
In area: North Fork Snoqualmie Drainage
Trip Organizer: The Mountaineers Hiking Committee
This was my first trip as a Mountaineers hike leader. Interestingly all seven of the others on the trip were also hike or scramble leaders!
From the parking area at the big four-way intersection on the North Fork Road, go west, cross gate 10 (which may or may not be open) and the trail starts there at the T in the road.
The major difficulty in following the Fuller Mountain trail is finding the trail when you reach the gravel pit at the base of the mountain. At this point you turn left for a couple hundred feet until you get to a fork in the road. At the fork you turn sharply right, follow the road uphill, and watch for the trail on your left.
At the summit we enjoyed the sunshine and the views to the east of Hancock's Comb, Bessemer Mountain, Moolock Mountain, Green Mountain, Mount Teneriffe, Dixie Peak, the Moon Wall, and the huge gravel pit that has been carved out of the valley floor.
On the way back we turned right after the stream crossing and followed the mostly overgrown trail that eventually loops around and rejoins the main trail near where the trail meets the road.
References
- Book: Hiking the Mountains to Sound Greenway
- Book: Seattle Outdoors: Hiking & Cycling-Puget Sound and Cascades
- SeattlePI.com: Trip reports
- moosefish.com: Trip reports
Driving Directions
Take I-90 E from Seattle. Take exit 31 and set your odometer to zero at the stop sign. Go N on Bendigo Blvd. At 0.7 miles go right on N Bend Way. At 0.8 miles (two blocks) go left on Ballarat Ave N. At 1.3 miles Ballarat Ave N turns into 420 Ave SE, then at 1.5 miles the arterial turns into NE 12th St, then at 2 miles the arterial turns into 428 Ave SE, and finally at 3.8 miles the arterial turns into North Fork Road SE. At 4.9 miles at a Y (with deadend signs for both forks) go to the left (uphill). At 5.3 miles North Fork Road SE turns to gravel.North Fork gate 11 (which blocks road 32000) is at a large 4-way intersection 3.5 miles after the North Fork Road turns into gravel (8.8 miles from I-90). A permit is required to drive past gate 11, see North Fork gate 11 for more.
Travel Times
Car-to-car time: 2 hours 35 minutes- 1 hour 1 minute ascending from North Fork gate 11 intersection to summit of Fuller Mountain
- 1 hour 2 minutes descending from summit of Fuller Mountain to North Fork gate 11 intersection
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